MCC take on counties in Abu Dhabi
Published: 24 March 2014

Sunday 23 March saw three MCC sides taking on county opposition in the Middle East.

An MCC side captained by Virender Sehwag began their four-day game against Durham at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi in the annual Champion County fixture.

At the same time, MCC Young Cricketers and a Combined MCC Universities side took on Sussex and Lancashire respectively.

In the Champion County match, Durham were bowled out for 248 on the first day, with Essex and England spinner Monty Panesar taking five wickets.

Keaton Jennings and Scott Borthwick both made half-centuries for last year’s County Champions.

The MCC YCs fell narrowly short in their fifty-over clash against Sussex in Abu Dhabi.

Chasing 219 to win after reducing Sussex to 218/9, the YCs were bowled out for 192 in the final over, losing the match by 27 runs.

The Combined MCCU side were also defeated in their match, with Lancashire winning by 144 runs after making 282/5 from their fifty overs. Combined MCCU were then dismissed for 138 from 45 overs.

MCC is the most active playing cricket Club in the world, playing more than 500 matches around the world each year, from the first-class Champion County fixture to hundreds of games against schools and clubs.

During the high point of the summer, MCC can be found playing up to 15 matches simultaneously around the UK.